Charcoal Ravens
by Ray The Red
Summary: A collection of what the Uchiha Clan thinks of Uchiha Hanako, twin to the heir apparent. Each account as unique as the charcoal birds she makes; some mundane whilst others have lighting around them or breath fire. What? Artistic Liscense is what makes it interesting. - A homage to Loeka's Pinwheel Madness -
1. Chapter 1: What makes a Genius?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto, the Uchiha, Hanako or Pinwheel Madness. Those last two belong to Loeka and I am penniless.

 _What Makes a Genius?_

Itachi Uchiha was only four, but at four he knew many things. He knew for example that the sky was blue, the grass green and that he had a twin. He knew that having a twin was different than just having a brother or a sister not only because they were the same age and looked more alike than any pair of siblings, but also because it was rare and special; the only other person he knew that had one was the head of the Hyuuga clan. He knew that at the end of the day the sun went down, and that during the night the moon took its place accompanied by the stars who came out to shine their light down on them. The stars, they made patterns called constellations, and he could point to every single one. He knew for example that in the first month of the year came the Ox, and in the fourth month came the Tiger, and in the last came the Ram.

He knew that the Uchiha were his clan, that their Doujutsu was called the Sharingan, and that they were one of the two founding clans of Konoha. Their symbol was a fan; red to represent the fire that they could control with ease, the white to represent the control they all exercised and prided themselves upon. He knew that his father was the Clan head and that he, being the eldest twin, was the official heir. He knew that one day he, too, would be the head of his clan and the Police force, keeping peace within the walls of Konoha.

He knew that he liked ravens, because they were so sleek and elegant. Seeing one fly, gliding in that blue expanse that was the sky and seeing the tiniest black feather adjust to a change in the airflow, always brought a smile to his face. He knew how to perfectly throw Kunai whether it was made of wood or blunted metal because he adjusted his body just like the raven did. He knew how to flow through the motions of the Kata's that he and his sister were learning because if his chakra flowed, so could his body, and if he could adjust his body, so could he adjust the ebb and flow of his chakra in order to increase the strength of his senses.

People always thought that he was the smartest of the two, and if you looked at it in terms of pure skill, this was perhaps true, but Itachi knew better. Hanako was very loud and outspoken for an Uchiha, though not as brazen as his cousin Obito. No one was. Hanako was not as good at her Kata, her stances or her Kunai throwing and she wrestled immensely with the strengthening of her senses. She spoke more than he did, casual speech came a lot easier to her (he'd even call it her preferred way of speaking), and, if she could get away with it, would curse. Those were all things that people tended to notice and remember, and it was why he was often the only one categorized as a genius.

They were wrong, his sister was just as much a genius, if only in different things. Itachi was not the one who knew many, many melodies and could sing like the best of them. She herself said that he was better. He countered that she just liked his voice more, which was just her opinion and not a fact (he failed to take into the account that the same could be said for him). She'd conceded that maybe he'd had a point, and the smile she'd given him had been worth it.

Itachi was not the one who could draw such very beautiful birds with charcoal, and he'd tried. He was good, but Hanako's creations were marvels to behold, especially when compared to the drawings of his cousins. He could retain details with almost perfect clarity, even without having actived his clan's bloodline limit, but his twin could add upon and change to her very whim the things reality showed her. He had tried that, too, but he felt compelled to draw what he knew he had seen. She could create out of nothing, whereas he could only copy. That's not to say he didn't have any imagination, but he knew that hers was so much grander and because of this he suspected that she would be better at Genjutsu.

He itched to find out if this was the case, and couldn't wait till the moment that his parents decided that the two of them were old and mature enough to start training them in the usage of chakra. He already thought they were, and his sister was more than inclined to agree with him, but their opinions in this matter were rather moot. It was for that simple reason they kept their training a secret, because if their mother ever found out... Neither of them were exactly keen on finding out what their punishment would be, because sometimes his mother scared him.

He knew that Hanako's imagination was grander than his because ever since he could remember, when they laid in bed together ready to go sleep she either hummed a melody or told him stories. Not the ones he read, from where he had gained a love for the written word and wide vocabulary, but ones that she made up. There was a whole host of them, and he loved them all but one. One of his particular favorites was the one called the little Ningyo.

It was about a little Ningyo, a princess to be precise, who had the most beautiful of voices. She wanted to become human, because she'd fallen in love with one. An evil witch heard this plea, and answered that if she gave up her very beautiful voice, she would become human. The foolish princess agreed, but thankfully in the end, after defeating the evil witch, gained both. He'd told her this, and she'd called him girly with a grin. What he never told her that it was because he thought of Hanako as a Ningyo, because in his mind she had the most beautiful of voices and just a like a Ningyo could lull sailors to sleep, Hanako could hum him to slumber.

Her favorite seemed to be the first one she'd ever told him; the one about Warrior Mulan, who had apparently become the first Kunoichi ever when she'd saved the Land of Fire from war by pretending to be a Shinobi. He also knew why it was her favorite, it was, after all, the reason he liked this story the least.

See, having been three at the time, he'd asked if his mother knew who the first ever Kunoichi was. It had been during dinner and she'd replied with no. Very proud to know something that his mother didn't he started to tell the story. At the end his mother, face normal but Sharingan blazing, had asked who had told him this story, he pointed to his sister. Hanako was, at this point, red in the face from holding in her giggles. Very slowly it occured to him that the combination of the word 'story', the fact that both his parents had their Sharingan active and that his sister was holding in her giggles could mean only one thing and he'd whispered with wide eyes, "She's not real?" That was enough to set his sister off and, apparently, his parents.

It was the first and only time he had ever heard his father laugh out loud as the most he'd gotten out of him was a chuckle, one of the few times he had seen his mother do more than laugh politely, Kushina usually being the one to bring it about, as well as the first time he had seen his sister literally roll on the floor because she was laughing so hard. Most notably, though, that was the first time that he felt stupid and ashamed because of someone his age.

He didn't take it too well. For two whole days he stewed, sulked and lashed out at Hanako even when he knew he shouldn't. For a while emotion controlled him instead of the other way around, until eventually his sister did something amazing: she apologized. She did so by giving him a beautiful charcoal raven, the first of many as it would turn out, and he forgave her. He was four now, and though he would never _ever_ admit it to her, he was glad she'd made him experience that.

Itachi knew that other people would always call him a genius, and not his sister. He knew that his sister was smarter than him, but not in the ways other people would ever really see or praise. Itachi didn't mind that. Because Itachi might be a genius, but Hanako was Hanako and she was his. And just like he knew that the name Mulan would bring smiles to the faces of his family for all eternity he knew that that was all that mattered.

* * *

 **AN:** Hello there good people, I know its been a while again, but here is something a little different. This here story is based upon Pinwheel Madness by Loeka, a budgeoning SI that you guys should definitely check out. You can find it in my Favorites. This was originally supposed to be a one-shot but its turned into more, and this is only the first chapter, the following one should be Hanako as seen by her Father, Fugaku Uchiha. Also, I'll let you guys in on a little secret: the next chapter of Responsiblity is all but ready to be posted, its in the hands of my Beta. It'll go up one of these days. Anyways, tell me what you guys think of this.

Cheers,

Ray the Red


	2. Chapter 2: Of Language

**Discalimer:** I don't own Naruto, the Uchiha, Hanako or Pinwheel Madness. Those last two belong to Loeka and I am penniless.

 _"speaking English"_

 _Of Language_

Uchiha Fugaku was a man who had lived through one war and was now fighting a second one. He was the head of his clan, the head of the police force and a seasoned Jounin who was listed in the bingo books as Fire-Shuriken Fugaku or Fugaku of the Terrible Eyes, depending which village the bingo book was from. He had spilled blood in the name of his village and for the sake of his clan and he knew that as long as it were necessary that he would carry out that duty. He worked alongside Yamanaka Inoichi and Morino Ibiki when tasked to deal with infiltrators; they were more often the last line of defense, than the first. Their job was to win the war from the home front instead of on the turf of their enemies.

It was a very important job because their world was shaped by misinformation, misdirection, lying and subterfuge; whoever had the most information – _correct_ information – had the most power. Making a lie seem like the truth came as easy as breathing to most seasoned ninja and even the occasional civilian because even they knew that it was a survival trait. The thing about information was that even the most trivial or menial detail could be the most important detail, be the key to cracking the secret. It was for this reason that in this business you had to know how to navigate language, whether this was spoken, physical, or even cipher. So, he knew how to read people, knew when they were lying; if it wasn't their voice it was their body that would betray them. The Sharingan only helped him see those telling signs even faster.

On the battle field violence was a language; in a torture room it was a tool that would let a person speak the language of pain loud and clear. It was the most primal one; everyone understood it and spoke it, even the mute and deaf. He was more than familiar with it: from the strangled gurgle as a man chokes on his own blood to the horrific screams of a man who has each and every one of his tenketsu blasted into uselessness, all the way up to the eighth gate. To that man's credit he never spilled the beans, eventually biting off his own tongue, but then extracting information hadn't exactly been the point – he'd been an example. A good example as it turned out; the others talked, and gave useful information.

Emotions were also a language, if a very volatile and dangerous one. The Uchiha Clan knew that better than most. He could with clarity recall the unholy screams of rage he had released as his younger brother was cut down and the sounds of his mother's wails when they buried him. 30 years he was into his life, a recent father, and he had thought that he had heard the full extent of the sounds that the human vocal chords could produce. He was wrong. Never would he have thought that they were capable of making these sounds until his three year old daughter started to make them.

At first he had thought it be gibberish, and had humorlessly dismissed it, but when one day he found both his lovely children having a conversation in this strange and foreign tongue he started paying attention to it. He had thought it to be just a code, a childish but clever attempt to keep secrets from him and Mikoto, and he encouraged this behavior by making a game out of it, but the more he listened the more he gleaned that is was so much more than that; it was a proper language! As far as he could tell it had grammar, syntax and everything and his _three year old daughter_ – the same daughter who almost instinctively refused to use correct grammar and Keigo - was inventing it from the get go just to win the game.

The twins had at first had trouble with the pronunciation especially Itachi, his tongue and mouth not used to having to bend into these new shapes in order to get out the foreign sounds, but once he understood he cottoned on fast like he did with everything else. Hanako who had invented these sounds - ever the musical one, he could see on his eyelids how as a baby she had sung her distressed brother to sleep – had also stumbled but eventually found what she wanted.

One evening his wife, glowing with pride, came into his office and showed him a paper upon which were written 26 small uncomplicated characters, the writing clearly Hanako's, and explained how their little girl had created a cipher. She explained how their children had tried to be discreet, and they both chuckled how utterly adorable _that_ was. She'd overheard that each one represented a certain sound, kind of like Katakana except shorter and simpler. Hanako had apparently even made a melody as to remember the order in which the sounds went, Mikoto repeating it flawlessly.

 _"_ _A, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i , j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z that's the alphabet!"_

"So, esteemed wife of mine, do you know what that last word means?"

"No, my venerable husband, I do not. You have to admit, though, she might sing a bit off key – I don't care what Itachi says - but this certainly has a rhythm to it."

He nodded. "That it does. Now, what shall we do about this development, shall we crack the code or shall we let them have this?"

Her eyes shined with mirth, and he was reminded that he had married Uzumaki Kushina's accomplice. "Let us do both. Let our darling children believe they have won this game of ours, let them believe they can keep secrets from us. I rather wonder what on earth those would be at any rate."

His lips twitched; he was of the exact same mind. "Very well, that is the course of action we will undertake, after all it is our duty as parents to _understand_ our children."

She nodded, "That it is indeed, besides it would be rather embarrassing if we couldn't beat something our three year old made."

It would be, though he would probably die of pride right before he'd die of shame. "Well then beloved wife, let us get to work."

It took them two days, but eventually they knew for certain that the characters didn't have any meanings on their own except for the sound they represented. From there it was really just putting together the pieces they heard throughout the weeks. The combinations of the " _alphabet_ ", as it was called, were many and the pronunciation was at times odd, adding an edge to seemingly simple patterns. It had thrown them for a bit of loop, and sometimes it still did. It was a good defense mechanism. They didn't know it to the extent that the twins did, but they could now understand most of the conversations when they were curious enough to listen in and that was good enough, because the twins were still learning and creating more words every day.

He gave his toddlers a hint that he and Mikoto were on to them by saying that the two of them should learn to lip read, a silent conversation a lot harder to follow than one with sound. Hanako looked up at him like he was a wise elder and he had given her much insight indeed. He savored the moment.

The lip reading, he knew, would take a while. It was no easy task especially for three year olds, and it would give him and Mikoto ample time to complete their understanding of the language that their daughter had created. The pride that filled him every time that thought occurred to him was staggering. He toyed with the idea of giving it the cryptology department, but he'd let Hanako take that glory when the time came if she ever wanted to part with it. He doubted it; it was after all her prized creation and would forever be a work progress because the girl still had to learn so many words in the language of the land before creating new ones for the language she and her brother shared.

His children were not aware of it, nor should they have been, but as of late the war was not going well: Iwa was pushing hard in the South, the dense forests that populated the area and the tenuous treaty they had with Grass the only reason Konaha could currently hold them at bay; Ame was being soaked in blood as well as rain, once again the battle ground for their own forces, those of Kumo as well as the local ones, and worst of all there was news of Mist Ninja having been seen past the border a few days ago. They'd barely been breaking even, already spread out thin as it was. If this news was true and the Bloodly Mist made as far inland as the Land of Waves, things would truly take a turn for the worst. That could not be allowed, this impass _had_ to be cut off because otherwise the civilian populace would become aware of how dire the situation really was. His children would become aware of the War, and that was unacceptable.

It was thus no surprise that a few days later Fugaku received a mission scroll. He scowled as he read the missive; he would have to go out to the frontlines. He did not want to leave his family, not when it had been so good for the past few weeks, but his comrades needed him. His country needed him. So late at night too, but orders were orders and time was of the essence. He packed up his gear, kissed his wife goodbye and crept up to the twins' room. Silent as a shadow he entered the room and looked upon his children. They were in the same bed, hugging, as was a habit of theirs. It was adorable and a good last picture, because this is what he fought for; to keep their innoncence as long as possible.

He flickered away, but not before whispering, " _I love you_."

* * *

 **AN:** A bit more insight into the war, what the parents think of English, and Fugaku's own brand of thought. Also, guys, 60 followers and 11 reviews in 12 days is insane! I mean that was just the first chapter, talk about unexpected! It certainly gives one drive to write, I tell you! Thank you all very much for the support, it is hella appreciated! I hope you guys enjoyed this one just as much as you did the first, I certainly enjoyed writing it, so let me know. Next up: Mikoto. Lets see what a mother thinks, shall we?

Keigo: The most formal way to speak in Japanese, used only when addressing someone of great importance, such as the Hokage, or a Clan Head. Uses very advanced vocabulary, grammar and is often longwinded.


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